Should You Outsource locally or Overseas?

Outsource extra work to save time and resources so you can concentrate on building your business!

Your phone is ringing, three new quotes are requiring attention are on your desk, GST is due at the end of the month, payroll at the end of the week and your website has crashed… again. You are the overworked small business owner. As your business has grown, the challenges and demands on your time have multiplied. You have less and less time to do what you love, run your business. Maybe it’s time to consider outsourcing some of your responsibilities.

Everyone loves saving money, me included. Yes, you can get a bargain sometimes, especially if you know where to look. The problem is when you start looking to outsource locally for someone who works for bargain rates. If this is you, then you’ve probably already checked out virtual assistants from the Philippines or India. But before you sign on the dotted line, there are a few things you need to be aware of …

Saving a Few Dollars: Is It Worth It?

You know you can buy a bargain, say an electric jug that is 50% cheaper than the others and with a 12-month warranty, and think you are home free. Until it stops working the next day. Not a problem, you think. You’ll just drive back down to the shop and swap it for a new one. You spend the next hour looking for that darn receipt, then half an hour in the car driving to and from the store. Don’t forget the 20 minutes in store describing the problem and getting your replacement to find it had the exact same fault two days later!

Kurt Vonnegut once said “You get what you pay for.” You may have paid a cheap price for your jug and eventually got one that worked. But was it worth it? No! The time spent chasing your replacement jug could have used way more productively.

The same can be said about hiring overseas virtual assistants. You spend an awfully large amount of your time making sure they are doing what you asked. Why? Here’s why …

Why Hiring local is Your Best Option

There are five reasons you should be looking local than overseas for Outsourcing. More time, flexibility and saving money are just three of them.

Outsourcing Local is just that: local. While I may live in another area, I still live in New Zealand. That means I understand about the importance of building great relationships with my clients and in turn your clients. I know that if I do well, you do well. Even more, I am not a faceless person at the end of a phone or keyboard. I am a professional, just like you.

Forget micro managing. I don’t need you to walk me through every little part of your job. I understand Kiwi culture and won’t make any embarrassing blunders. You can rely on me to get the job done and within your required time frame.

No watching the clock. I live in the same time zone. When you’re eating breakfast, chances are I am too. An overseas VA will keep different hours and this can be incredibly difficult for any NZ business. When you need emails and calls answered you need these answered in a reasonable time frame, not in six hours when someone wakes up or in a few days.

I speak the same language. English is my first language and while this is true of some foreign virtual assistants, for others it is not. There will be nothing lost in translation between myself and your team.

You get what you pay for. I am running a business, just like you. I charge a fair rate for exceptional service. Overseas VA’s are contracted by large companies who match them up with businesses which request their services. Yes, they charge you less than what I charge, but you get what you pay for. Misspelt emails, misunderstood instructions, increased time managing your VA’s and late work. Who needs those? You don’t!

I found this great saying: If you think it is Expensive to hire a Professional, wait until you hire an Amateur. The choice is yours.

I have working knowledge of Xero, MYOB, QuickBooks, Ace Payroll, IMS Payroll, Workflow Max and Unleashed Software, Greentree, Buildertrend, Exonet, Scorepos. I am also a Xero certified Advisor and a Certified Bookkeeper and a member of the New Zealand Bookkeepers Association.